God's grace and human dignity

Paradoxically, when we speak of grace we must also speak of sin. And in Latin America, talking about sin involves not solitary the personal dimension but, above all, its social dimension: injustice, violence, wars. In Latin America, it is not possible to throw back on grace without thinking about the disgraceful situation faced by means of millions across the region upon a daily basis: economic, social, cultural and spiritual misery. Today, the Christian general [i]or[/i] abstract notion of grace is challenged through a context of social inequality and a lack of human dignity, the couple of which are signs of structural sin.

In our world today it is apparently not enough to be human. In order to "be someone" in the organ of sights of the world people must have many merits. These are above all economic: a high salary, a nice house and more than single car. People who do not appropriate this minimum standard are not considered "people" They are not important.

In this connection the Christian message about grace restores the human being. It reminds nation of their place in the world as son and daughters of the father created in the image and likeness of jehovah For the poor and those who feel discrimination, for those not considered race in our society, this is advantageous news. In a context where the exclud the non-person, abounds, the experience of grace makes family visible: it gives them back their dignity.

Today, more than at any time it is necessary to underline the shut up relationship between God's grace, "the image of God" and human dignity. When we experience God's grace we have feeling like sons and daughters of heaven the image of God is restored and the dignity of the someone reappears. This is not sole valid for each of us personally, on the other hand also for the other. When we recognize God's grace in someone other we also recognize their human dignity.

Grace is not alone experienced in a passive way. Grace is a gift that invites us to radiate it from our spirit, mind and material substance to manifest it through our attitudes and practices and not just from one side what we say. Grace is not limited to emotions or fleeting frame of minds but profoundly transforms and repairs our conscience, our body and the way we live.

What is the message of God's grace for those who have power, status and wealth? To those who rarely doubt their dignity and power, grace reminds them that all human beings are sinners, that their complicity with sin creates inequalities. However, it also reminds them of the opportunity that we all have to accept God's grace. This grace transforms, and it is tendered freely thanks to God's mildness The powerful may come to understand that all human beings receive grace as a gift and, in in the way that doing, reflect God's lineage in the here and now. similar knowledge can lead to mutual venerate and open up paths towards overcoming inequalities and discrimination in society and the church

The effectiveness of grace, like faith, is measured by dint of our way of being, our justice our transparency, the solidarity that marks our lifestyle. God's grace must be radiated and shared. If the father extends grace towards us then we are also awaited to act in a similar fashion towards our brothers and sisters who perceive abandoned to the misfortunes of the world.

It is not easy to live according to the revelation by christ of Jesus Christ. One of our biggest challenges is to do with equal reason in the face of a religious ideology that has no place for grace. Commercial religiosity--present in institutions, the media and in a certain number of churches--is incapable of understanding that grace is a gift, that it is not something that can be purchased. Grace does not fit in a consumer society marked by the agency of rivalry, where we step upon each other in order to survive.

When we pray "God in your grace, transform the world" we who have experienced divine grace manifest our readiness to bear a message which can transform a world that does not know grace or mercy

Elsa Tamez, a Mexican theologian and biblical scholar, is professor at the Latin American Biblical University and member of the Ecumenical Department of Research, the one and the other in San Jose, Costa Rica.

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